President Donald Trump has ordered another major reduction in the work force, which was announced Wednesday by the Office of Budget and Management and reiterated during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term at the White House.
"The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens," the memo states. "The American people registered their verdict on the bloated, corrupt federal bureaucracy on November 5, 2024 by voting for President Trump and his promises to sweepingly reform the federal government."
.@POTUS: "We're cutting down the size of government — we have to! We're bloated. We're sloppy. We have a lot of people that aren't doing their job." pic.twitter.com/2apdLMrJLc
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 26, 2025
"On February 11, 2025, President Trump’s Executive Order Implementing The President’s 'Department of Government Efficiency' Workforce Optimization Initiative (Workforce Optimization) “commence[d] a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy.' It directedbagencies to “eliminat[e] waste, bloat, and insularity” in order to “empower American families,bworkers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself,” the memo continues. "President Trump required that “Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable law. President Trump also directed that, no later than March 13, 2025, agencies develop Agency Reorganization Plans."
Trump also addressed a directive from DOGE special government employee Elon Musk for federal workers to respond to an email with five tasks completed last week.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Those millions of people who haven't responded [with their five bullet points] are on the bubble... Maybe they don't exist. Maybe we're paying people who don't exist... But those people are on the bubble." pic.twitter.com/hCmyVjPtQL
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) February 26, 2025